


hope

by merrymegtargaryen



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 05:07:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9163537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merrymegtargaryen/pseuds/merrymegtargaryen
Summary: An alternate take on Rey's parents and why she was left on Jakku.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This oneshot works off the theory that Scarif was not totally destroyed by the Death Star and instead became a smaller desert planet now known as Jakku. It also justifies how Jyn could be Rey's mom, and assumes that Rey's abandonment on Jakku coincides with Kylo Ren's turn to the Dark Side. 
> 
> I just want to throw out there that while I don't personally believe this, I thought it was a really interesting concept and I wanted to write it.

While Cassian bartered with the junkyard boss, Jyn eyed the planet--or what was left of it--with distaste. This desert wasteland was nothing like the tropical beach she’d visited all those years ago. The beach where men who really and truly believed in her had given their lives for a sliver of hope, where she’d nearly died herself. How it had survived the Death Star, she’d never know, and how she and Cassian survived was an even greater mystery. They’d spent weeks in the medical bay on Yavin 4, drifting in and out of consciousness as their burns were treated. When they finally woke up, they found out the transmission had been successful and a rookie pilot named Luke Skywalker had used their discovery to destroy the Death Star. 

The very thought of Luke made Jyn’s grip on her daughter’s hand tighten. He’d warned them to hide Rey, somewhere his nephew would never find her. Ben--Kylo Ren--knew about her abilities, and there was no doubt he would be coming after her, either to kill her or to train her in the Dark Side. 

In many ways, Jyn knew that this was best thing for their daughter. She knew that Kylo Ren would never think to look here--Scarif had technically been removed from the Imperial database, and what was left of the planet was now known as Jakku. It was a giant junkyard of ships, home only to scavengers. It was no place for a little girl, and that was the beauty and the tragedy of it. 

“But why do I have to stay here?” her daughter asked, and not for the first time, Jyn’s heart twinged. They had kept her in the dark as much as possible--the less she knew, the safer she would be. 

“It’s only for a little while, sweetheart,” Jyn assured her. “Papa and I will be back, and then you can tell us all about your adventures.”

“I want to go on your adventures,” she said. “I want to stay with you. That’s what families do. They stay together.”

Jyn’s heart twinged so hard that she thought she might be sick. From the moment she had found out she was pregnant, she had sworn to be the parent she had never gotten to have. She wanted to be there for every moment of her child’s life, watch her grow up. How much time would pass before it was safe to come back for her? 

She crouched before the little girl, brushed a thumb over her cheek. “It’s only for a little while,” she said. “Someday when you’re older you will understand. But right now, I need you to be my brave girl. Can you do that for me?”

Rey regarded her distrustfully. 

Cassian approached them then, the Crolute lumbering after them. “It’s time.” When neither of them moved, he took Rey’s hand and pulled her towards Unkar Plutt. Rey realized what was happening and dug her feet into the sand, her eyes wide. “No, I don’t want to go, I don’t!” She ripped her hand from her father’s grasp and ran back to Jyn. “Don’t! Don’t make me go, I’ll be good, I swear!”

Jyn swallowed the hitch in her throat, prised Rey’s arms off of her and knelt to meet the little girl’s eyes. “Listen to me,” she said so softly that Rey had to stop crying to hear her. “I know you’re scared. I’m scared too. But this is something we have to do. I will think about you every day, and I know you will think about me.” She pulled Rey against her, held the little girl as tightly as she could. “Wait for me, Stardust,” she whispered. She felt Cassian’s hand on her shoulder and knew it was time. If they didn’t leave now, they never would.

She released Rey, stood up, and walked away. She forced herself not to turn around, no matter how much Rey was screaming behind her. Her eyes filled with tears, and if not for Cassian’s hand on her shoulder she might have lost her resolve.

She didn’t look back when they boarded the ship, and she didn’t look back when they took off. She stared straight ahead, her fingers digging so tightly into the arms of her chair that her knuckles were white. Her eyes were full of unshed tears, blurring everything in front of her. Dimly, she became aware that they had launched into hyperspace. 

Cassian’s fingers found hers. “It’s better this way,” he said quietly. “She’s safe down there, where no one knows her.”

“I know.” And she did. “It’s only...I know what it feels like to be left behind.” Her voice caught. “To have a parent you think doesn’t care about you.”

Cassian’s grip tightened. “You found out the truth about your father,” he said. “And so will Rey.”

“I found out too late,” Jyn reminded him. “Will it be too late when Rey finds out?”

Cassian was quiet for a moment. “All we can do is hope,” he said finally. 

Hope. That’s what they had found on Scarif. Maybe Rey would find it too.


End file.
